Darrell Arthur is a Nugget. So is the guy who led the NCAA in scoring last season.

In a wild Thursday night during the NBA draft, the Nuggets traded center Kosta Koufos to the Memphis Grizzlies, two NBA sources confirmed, in exchange for the 6-foot-9, 235-pound Arthur and the 55th pick in the draft. Arthur, a forward, averaged 6.1 points and 2.9 rebounds in 16.4 minutes per game. It's widely known that he's successful at the pick-and-pop. He played college ball at Kansas.

"I thought we tried to be aggressive with our pick," Nuggets general manager Tim Connelly said late Thursday night at the Pepsi Center. "It was a difficult evening, trading a key piece from our team and a guy who has a really bright future. But we targeted a certain type of player — he's an elite frontcourt defender and can spread the floor. But it was tough to trade Koufos."

Green is a 6-4, 185-pound guard who averaged an NCAA-high 25 points per game. He shot 38.9 percent from 3-point range, and he twice scored 35 points in a game.

Asked to describe his game, Green said: "I think I'm a good leader, and I can score the ball very well. I can defend, and I think I can definitely come in and contribute. ... I'm so excited to be a Nugget."

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With the 55th pick acquired from Memphis, Denver nabbed Lauvergne, who averaged 5.9 points in the France Pro A league.

Trading the first-round pick kept Denver from having to pay guaranteed money to a first-round draft pick, a player who likely wouldn't play for this deep team.

Koufos started for Denver last season, but the Nuggets have big-money big man JaVale McGee under contract and Timofey Mozgov is a restricted free agent. The plan, even with fired coach George Karl, was likely to start McGee.

"We're excited about having Mozgov back. We tendered him a qualifying offer," Connelly said. "It allows us to have right of refusal, and looking forward to getting with his representatives (to sign a contract)."

Asked about essentially choosing between Koufos and Mozgov as a backup center, Connelly said: "I'm a big believer in consensus decision-making. There were pros and cons about both players. But we wanted to see what was behind the door with Timofey and run with it."

NBA commissioner David Stern shakes hands with Rudy Gobert of France, who was selected by the Nuggets at No. 27 in the first round of the NBA draft Thursday in New York. (Kathy Willens, The Denver Post )

Koufos, who was a hard worker for Denver, averaged 8.0 points and 6.9 rebounds in 22.4 minutes. But Koufos was lackluster in the first round against the Golden State Warriors, averaging 3.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in 16.7 minutes.

Denver's 57 wins were a historic accomplishment — most in the Nuggets' NBA history — but some critics argue that the lack of regular-season development of the center McGee, and even shooters such as Evan Fournier and Jordan Hamilton, hurt Denver in the playoffs, when it matters most.

"(Arthur's) ability to defend the pick-and-roll, his athleticism, is rare at that position," Connelly said. "And coach (Brian) Shaw and I were impressed with his ability to spread the floor."

Dealin' Denver

Bio: Kansas product selected in the first round (27th overall) of the 2008 draft by New Orleans and was traded three times on draft night.

Stats: In four seasons with Memphis (one shortened by a torn right Achilles tendon), averaged 6.7 points and 3.9 rebounds. He has played in 247 games, including 77 starts.

ERICK GREEN Guard; 6-foot-3, 178 pounds

How acquired: With 46th pick, which the Nuggets received by trading Rudy Gobert (the 27th pick) to Utah.

Bio: Grew up in Winchester, Va., and played college ball at Virginia Tech, where he was the ACC player of the year as a senior.

Stats: Led the NCAA in scoring with an average of 25 points in 2012-13 season. He scored 28 points against Colorado State in a Dec. 23 game. He was the Hokies' leading scorer in all but three games this past season.

JOFFREY LAUVERGNEForward; 6-foot-11, 240 pounds

How acquired: With 55th pick, which Denver received from Memphis.

Bio: The 22-year-old Frenchman spent the past three seasons playing in Europe, most recently for Partizan Belgrade in Serbia.

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